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Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
However, there had been little reported interest in the star guard over the past few months. This is largely because he has garnered a reputation as somewhat of an erratic player.
However, the Irving-related rumors have started to pick up as of late, with the Miami Heat being named as one potential suitor for his services. The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently reported that Miami had an interest in trading for "Uncle Drew" at the trade deadline and could “circle back” to him.
The Heat suffered a 4-1 NBA Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets and many believe the team could use a significant offensive boost. However, according to Miami Heat insider Ira Winderman, the team is very unlikely to sign Irving this summer.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Winderman listed a variety of reasons why Kyrie Irving is a bad fit for the Heat. He first pointed out that Irving’s activism and political leanings would not be appreciated in the conservative state of Florida.
“When Kyrie’s name first came out, I was told it’s an absolute flat-out no. Not in this locker room, not with this team,” Winderman said.
“Then you remember Kyrie’s comments and remember the community you would be bringing him into here, South Florida. And some of the comments Kyrie made, that wouldn’t play at all. It would probably lead to a degree of protest.”
Winderman added that he thinks that Irving would love to join the Heat. He suspects that Irving and his camp were the ones who leaked the Irving-to-Miami rumors to the public.
However, Winderman doesn’t think that Irving would be able to co-exist with Heat superstar forward Jimmy Butler. His reason for the same was that the two stars both have equally strong personalities which could lead to them butting heads.
“So, what I think is this. Kyrie would love to be here,” Winderman said.
“That doesn’t mean the Heat would love to have him here. Jimmy Butler is the strongest personality in the history of the Miami Heat in the locker room and that says a lot. … This is Jimmy’s fiefdom, and everybody here works around Jimmy. …
“You can have one of those (types of players). To try to deal with two of those, all of a sudden, you’re back, to a degree, to Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) and Kobe (Bryant), and in this era, I think that would be awfully hard.”
Winderman then opined that he doesn’t think that Miami would submit to Irving’s wishes either.
“I think Kyrie Irving does better than anyone in the league at putting out the messages of what Kyrie wants,” he said.
“But I don’t think the Heat are going to be subservient to Kyrie’s wishes. I would find that much more of a long shot.”
Kyrie Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.9 3-pointers per game on 51.0% shooting over 20 games with the Dallas Mavericks. However, they failed to make even the Play-in tournament after finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
Also read: NBA Rumors - Rockets could pursue Kyrie Irving if James Harden re-signs with Sixers
Ira Winderman says Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are both better fits in Miami than Kyrie Irving
Later in his discussion about Kyrie Irving possibly joining the Miami Heat, Ira Winderman named some other stars that he thinks Miami should prioritize instead.
He said that he could see both Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard and Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal fitting in with the Heat. Winderman believes both Lillard and Beal would be able to co-exist with Jimmy Butler better than Irving would.
“I can probably give you three or four other names, starting with Lillard and Beal that would be preferential when you’re talking about playing them alongside and in the same locker room with Jimmy Butler,” he said.
Both Lillard and Beal have been involved in trade rumors as of late. However, it’s unclear if the Heat have enough trade assets to get a deal done for either player.
